“Serenity”
is what happens when you give free reigns to Joss Whedon. It is a movie that is
cool as can be, a space western featuring a rag tag crew of pirates/mercenaries
on the run from an evil empire hell-bent on killing one of their passengers. It
features a charismatic lead, strong female characters, witty dialogue, sword
fights, fist fights, gun fights, and of course space battles. The crew’s
spaceship, Serenity, is of course a pile of junk. Don’t you love underdogs?
The movie
is based on a TV show that is somewhat of an underdog itself. “Firefly,”
premiered on Fox in 2002 and was cancelled after 11 episodes. That would
normally have been the end for any show, but then all episodes were released on
DVD. Then many people bought them, lots of people wondered why some idiot at
Fox cancelled such a fun show, fan clubs were formed, and comic books continued
the story. Eventually Joss Whedon thought there was enough support to get the
band back together and make a movie.
I only saw
previews for the show and never took the time to watch an episode. My brother
on the other hand loved the show and was one of the many people to hate Fox for
pulling the plug. When the movie came out in 2005 I was drawn in by all the
buzz and headed for the first cinema in Quebec City that played the film in
English. I had a great time, had some good laughs, and then also wondered why “Firefly”
was cancelled. Eventually my brother bought the entire TV show and I believe I
got him the movie as a Christmas present. You don’t need to have seen the TV
show to enjoy the movie, but once you have seen one you will want the whole
package.
The film,
much like the TV show, follows the crew of the “Serenity” led by Captain
Malcolm “Mal” Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), a charming rogue with a loose sense of
morality. In a quick sequence we meet the rest of the crew as his ship may or
may not crash land on a planet. There is Wash (Alan Tudyk) the kind of pilot
you really want behind the wheel when in the middle of a battle involving
hundreds of spaceship, Zoe (Gina Torres) the rational second-in-command and
wife of Wash, Jayne (Adam Baldwin) the trigger-happy brute, and Kaylee (Jewel
Staite) the pint-sized mechanic. These aren’t your old school honorable
crewmembers from Star Trek. If there’s a job and it pays well, they’ll take it
even if it means robbing someone at gunpoint.
Unfortunately
for them, the Alliance that rules their galaxy has put a target on their head.
Not for their cargo but for two of their passengers. Doctor Simon Tam (Sean
Maher) rescued his sister River Tam (Summer Glau) from a government prison and
sought refuge aboard the Serenity. On the surface River seems to be suffering
from mental trauma as a result of torture and is not always there. But beneath
lies a killing machine with the ability to read people’s mind. Before escaping
from prison she read the mind of too many important people and now she knows
too much.
To find her and kill
her the Alliance sends a nameless warrior known only as The Operative (Chiwetel
Ejiofor), the sort of man who can rationalize killing hundreds of innocents for
the greater good. He is ruthless, calculating, patient, and lives by an ancient
code of honor. Part of the joy of the movie is seeing him clash with Reynolds’
brashness. When the Operative sets a trap by capturing Inara (Morena Baccarin),
Reynolds’ love interest, he expects to they will negotiate man to man. He tells
Reynolds’s he is unarmed as a sign of good faith. As a sign of intelligence,
Reynolds’ shoots him on the spot. Of course The Operative never said anything
about body armor.
This is the
sort of humor Whedon excels at. Like half the planet I have seen his most
recent cinematic outing, a little movie called “The Avengers.” I expected to
see fights and explosions, which there are plenty, but I didn’t expect it to
have some many funny one-liners. Take the action away and you have a comedy.
Another
part of his appeal is his ability to write strong female characters. True, one
of the characters in Serenity is in fact a prostitute, but she can definitely
stand her own ground. Then there is Summer Glau, who has not one but two fights
when she battles a dozen adversaries, first with her bare hands, and later with
a pair of axes. No damsels in distress in this galaxy.
Sadly,
“Serenity” did not make the fortune “The Avengers” made at the box-office, but
once again the DVD sales proved the fans still had a lot of love. The chances
of a sequel or bringing back the show are slim, but I would say the movie
brings a satisfying sense of closure. An even greater sense of satisfaction:
Fox mistreated a great show and years later Whedon went to work for Marvel
Studios and directed one of the highest grossing films of all time. Don’t you
love it when the underdog wins in the end?
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